Comic-Con: To Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes is no mystery

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It’s official: Robert Downey Jr. is still the king of Comic-Con.

The actor bounded into the San Diego Convention Center’s Hall H on Friday morning, his second trip to massive weekend fest. This time, he was here to promote “Sherlock Holmes” and was welcomed with an even more breathless and deafening response than “Twilight’s” own Robert Pattinson.

“I love you guys so much,” he told the raucous crowd.

Clearly enjoying the attention, Downey was in a playful mood and joked about starring as the latest interpretation of the classic British sleuth. “I kept asking myself, ‘Why haven’t they figured out how to reinvigorate Sherlock Holmes yet?’ Casting.”

After debuting a super-sized trailer for the Guy Ritchie-directed “Holmes,“ starring Downey, Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, Downey explained the timing of the super detective’s comeback more seriously.

Holmes, he said, has been misrepresented in previous film projects. “The more we all looked into the original lexicon of the four novels and dozens and dozens of short stories, the more you realize that,” Downey said.

“We pretty much went back to the source. That’s how we reinvigorated it, by changing it less than it has been.”

The work that went into playing Holmes reminded him of the prep to play Charlie Chaplin, a part that earned him an Oscar nomination. ‘This movie was all about the prep -- martial arts and dialect. I get grumpy when I actually have to work, but I do love the challenge.’

‘Robert was so committed -- and ripped in this movie,’ McAdams added.

Downey will be back in Hall H on Saturday to promote “Iron Man 2.”

-- Denise Martin